In1980，CandyLightner’s13-year-olddaughterCadwaskilledbyadrunkdriverasshewalkeddownasuburbanstreetinCalifornia.“Ipromisedmyselfonthedayofmydaughter’sdeaththatIwouldfighttomakethisneedlessaccidentcountforsomethingpositiveintheyearsahead,”CandyLightenerlaterwrote.
Thedrunkdriverreceivedatwo-yearprisonsentence.However,heavoidedprisonbyservingtimeinaworkcampandahalfwayhouse.Ms.LightnerwasveryangryaboutthatandsoorganizedMothersAgainstDrunkDrivers(MADD),whichlaterchangedtoMothersAgainstDrunkDriving.Theaimofherorganizationwastoraisepublicawarenessoftheseriousnatureofdrunkdrivingandtopromotetoughlegislationagainstthecrime.
BeforeMs.Lightner’sMADD,intoxication(醉酒),includingdrunkdriving,wasnottakenseriously.Intoxicationwasoftenusedasanexcuseforotherwiseunacceptablebehavior:“Ididn’tknowwhatIwasdoing—Iwasdrunk.”
CandyLightnerappearedonmajortelevisionshows,spokebeforetheUSCongress,addressedprofessionalandbusiness,groups,andworkedtirelesslyforyearstochangepublicattitudes,changejudicial(审判的)behaviour,andpromotetoughnewlegislation.Ms.LightnerleftMADDbecausetheorganizationthatsheherselfcreatedischangingitsfocus.“Ididn’tstartMADDtodealwithalcohol.IstartedMADDtodealwiththeissueofdrunkdriving.”
ThePresidentoftheUnitedStatesawardedherthePresident’sVolunteerActionAwardandshewasthesubjectofthemovie“MothersAgainstDrunkDrivers:theCandyLightnerStory”.
小题1:OneofthepurposesofMADDwasto______.